Eppie Lederer
Eppie Lederer | |
|---|---|
Publicity photo in 1961 | |
| Born | Esther Pauline Friedman July 4, 1918 Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 2002 (aged 83) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Ann Landers |
| Alma mater | Morningside College |
| Occupation(s) | Personal advice columnist, author, radio host |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Margo Howard |
| Relatives | Pauline Phillips (twin sister) |
Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (née Friedman; July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002), better known by the pen name Ann Landers, was an American advice columnist and eventually a nationwide media celebrity. She began writing the "Ask Ann Landers" column in 1955 and continued for 47 years, by which time its readership was 90 million people. A 1978 World Almanac survey named her the most influential woman in the United States. She was the identical twin sister of Pauline Phillips, who wrote the similarly popular "Dear Abby" advice column as Abigail Van Buren.
Lederer was a profile-raiser for several medical charities, and in 1977 President Jimmy Carter appointed her to a six-year term on a cancer advisory board.